What a year for marketing accountability! MASB CEO Joanna Seddon and Executive Director Frank Findley kept our numerous project teams on track and much progress was made by all. The Marketing Metric Certification and Universal Marketing Dictionary teams were busier than ever. We went to Dallas and Chicago for two terrific summits, continued our webinars, and produced many valuable deliverables. Here are some highlights:
MARKETING METRIC CERTIFICATIONS
Several outstanding new marketing metrics underwent the Marketing Metric Accountability Protocol and were certified by MASB:
Brand Finance Brand Valuation League Tables – a global study of brand strength and value across over 45 sectors using the Relief from Royalty method.
Kantar Meaningful Different Salient (MDS) Framework – a conceptual and practical model to measure and diagnose brand equity.
Proof Analytics Causal.ai – The first software product evaluated by MASB, generates optimized plans and forecasts to explain, calibrate, and constantly improve marketing investments.
Reddify B2C Marketing Platform – leveraging on the power of user-generated content on Reddit with the metrics Catalyst Surge Ratio (CSR), Sentiment Score (SS), and Conversion Ratio (CR).
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
Jerry Nichols, Vice President of Marketing Data, Analytics, and Insights at Bottomline, was awarded the Margaret H. Blair Award for Marketing Accountability for his pioneering work on creating brand and marketing measurement techniques that have transformed marketing data collection and analytics in the companies he has worked for.
Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management Professor Emeritus of Marketing Bobby Calder was honored as a Joseph Plummer MASB Trailblazer during MASB Summer Summit for embodying the spirit of marketing accountability and being instrumental in carrying out the MASB mission.
MASB Director of Communication Erich Decker-Hoppen had his 10-year anniversary and is MASB’s longest serving staff member. He redesigned the Universal Marketing Dictionary, started the MASB Channel on YouTube, and launched MASB book publishing – with much more still to do.
MAKING MARKETING ACCOUNTABLE WEBINAR SERIES
Frank Findley and Erich Decker-Hoppen co-produced another five episodes of our popular series with some very insightful presenters.
PUBLICATIONS & PRESS
The Financial Value of Brands Imperative: Why Brands Must be Valued in Financial Terms | 2nd Ed. by Jim Meier, Frank Findley, Tony Pace, and Vithala Rao AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE
Branding Strategy Insider: Marketing’s Financial Value Drivers • Meier • Dec 2025
Branding Strategy Insider: Branding And Strategic Investment: Why Firms Don’t Invest • Stewart • Nov 2025
Branding Strategy Insider: How Eveready Paid The Price For Underinvesting In Marketing • Meier • Nov 2025
LinkedIn: Kraft Heinz – A Brand Disaster • Seddon • Sep 2025
Branding Strategy Insider: Years Of Marketing Underinvestment Catch Up To Kraft Heinz • Meier • Sep 2025
Branding Strategy Insider: Why Marketing Lacks Credibility And Influence • Stewart • Aug 2025
WARC: The 4Ps are wrong and out of date – please don’t bring them back! • Seddon • Aug 2025
Brand Finance: MASB certifies Brand Finance framework for measuring Brand Strength • Newell • Aug 2025
Forbes: Unlocking The Potential Of Advanced Analytics To Ignite Growth • Diorio • Jul 2025
Kantar: A new standard for brand equity measurement: MASB certifies Kantar’s MDS framework • Ostler • Jan 2025
MASB SUMMITS
SPRING SUMMIT: Finding Marketing Opportunities in Disruption
SMU Cox School of Business
SUMMER SUMMIT: Marketing Opportunities in the Era of Economic Uncertainty
DePaul University
VIEW SUMMIT VIDEOS ON THE MASB YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Join us Feb. 18-19 for MASB WINTER SUMMIT 2026, a virtual event on Zoom.
COMING SOON
We will be hitting the ground running next year with a new white paper from the Sustainable Marketing Accountability Project, a webinar with MSW Research, the release of Sponsorship Accountability 2nd Edition, and much more.
If you’re not part of the marketing accountability movement, join MASB today!